The No. 3-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks are high on momentum, securing victory after victory. And that’s how their latest game against the Texas A&M Aggies should have looked. A game between a Top 5 team and a team that has lost almost every game in their conference, the results should have been one-sided, right? But they weren’t, as the Dawn Staley team came dangerously close to letting it slip.

After the final buzzer, the scoreboard read 71–56 in favor of the Gamecocks, but head coach Staley knew the margin of victory didn’t tell the full story, as by the fourth quarter of the game, the Aggies almost wiped out their lead. And for a team chasing perfection, moments of vulnerability like this have no place in the program.

So during the post-game media session, Staley didn’t mince words when asked about the stretch where Texas A&M closed the gap.

“I don’t think it was ever under control for the teams that are in our league,” Staley explained. “For us just turnovers, unaware of the shot clock situation, and bad spacing. They capitalized because they scored a lot of points on us when we turned it over. Close to half of their points came from our turnovers. That was their defense and their grit and their ability to stay locked in and try to get a win.”

Here’s what happened – despite building a 16-point lead (53–37) with less than 3 minutes left on the clock in the third quarter, the Gamecocks nearly lost that advantage, as the Aggies, led by guard Ny’Ceara Pryor, went on a 14-2 run, cutting the lead to 55–51 by the start of the fourth. And most of those points came from turnovers.

South Carolina committed 18 TO’s in the game, allowing Texas A&M to score 21 points off those miscues.

But when you have as much experience as Dawn Staley, you know what you need to do. So when the head coach was asked about the performance of standout guard Joyce Edwards in that late stretch, she didn’t shy away from revealing what she expects from her leaders in high-pressure moments.

“Yeah, she can playmake. I thought down the stretch we were a lot more focused on getting the ball where it needed to be. I think for a lot of the game offensively, we didn’t do a good job of moving the ball in a way that really impacts the defense. So we just played according to how Texas A&M wanted us to play. They did a great job of executing defensively,” she further added.

If you are wondering why Edwards is one of Staley’s go-to players in tight situations, her 28-point performance, where eight points in a 9–0 run that pushed the Gamecocks ahead by 67–53 with under two minutes remaining, is the answer.

The lead she helped build gave the rest of the team a much-needed confidence boost as they went on to end the game with a 15-point lead.

What’s next for Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks?

With this win under their belt, the Gamecocks now sit at 22-2 overall and 8-1 in the Southeastern Conference.

If we refer to the stats sheet, Edwards currently leads the team in most points (20.0) and steals (2.0) per game on average. While for rebounds (10.3) and blocks (1.5), Madina Okot takes the win home.

For their next game, the Gamecocks will lock horns with the Mississippi State Bulldogs on February 5th. A game predicted to be in their favor with 97.2% by ESPN. However, it’s the games after this that will test their true strength. Following the game against the Bulldogs, they will play against:

• The No. 19 Tennessee Lady Volunteers on February 8th.
• The No. 5 LSU Tigers on February 14th.
• The No. 21 Alabama Crimson Tide on February 19th.
• The No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels on February 22nd.

As South Carolina heads into this brutal stretch, the margin for error will only get smaller. If they continue to make mistakes that would leave them vulnerable, these teams will make sure to take advantage of it. But the Gamecocks have the talent, especially with Joyce Edwards continuing to lead the way.

But the sloppy turnovers, poor spacing, and momentary lapses in the SEC could define a season and that’s something the Gamecocks will need to work on if they plan to dominate this season.